Automatic apparatus



Oct. 20,1925

W. BLANK AUTOMATIC APPARATUS Filed July 13, 1923 2 Sheets-Shoat 1 W. BLANK v AUTOMATIC APPARATUS Filed July 13. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l/Aidlllllllllll Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

PATENT OFFICE.

winnnni BLANK, or PLAUEN, GERMANY.

AUTOMATIC APPARATUS.

Application filed July 13,

To all to/ 20m it may concern lie it known that l, lVILHELM BLANK, a citizen of the German Republic, and a resident of Plauen, Saxony, Germany, have invented a new and useful Automatic Apparatus, of which the following is a speeilication.

This invention relates to an automatic apparatus for difi erei'itly adjusting machine parts, for instance for use in connection with embroidery machines and, in certain cases, also with looms or sewing machines; its object is, as regards embroidery machines, to derive, for instance, the extent of adjustment of the reciprocating frame from invariable adjusting movements of the driving members by means of a set of levers; and as regards looins,'the object is to actuate the thread board also in such a manner, as is hereinafter fully described.

it has already been proposed to actuate the adjusting levers by means of cranks of different stroke and to unite the thus obtaiued differently long rocking motions of several adjusting levers by connecting levers having arms of correspondingly chosen length, in order to obtain the desired adji ting motion for the reciprocating frame. I

This adjusting device is, however, possessed of the drawback that, on one side, effecting the rocking movements of the cranks from the lifters can be effected only in a very circumstantial manner, and on the other side it is very difficult to read the size of the stitch from the punched card owing to the ununiforni subdivision of the individual levers and the manner of their mutual connection with each other.

In connection herewith the point must be considered that an in'iportant feature in the operation of an embroidery machine with automatic apparatus resides in whether it is possible to find easily every embroidering stitch on the card in order to be in the position to at 31 easily the latter, if necessary. This is the case, for instance, if the embroiderv fabric distorts during the emhroideuiag operation or if faults in the punching of the card must be rectified.

In order to obviate the drawbacks in question, all adjusting levers are devised to form, according to this invention, equal-armed double levers which are arranged to form a series of such a kind that to the middle part of each lever the next one is pivoted with one of its ends, whereas the other, free 1923. Serial No. 651,386.

end of this lever is connected with a reciprocating driving member by which all levers are rocked uniformly and in any combina tion picket out by the jacquard-device,the last lever transmitting in known manner the summed-up movements on the machine part the position of which is to be altered.

My invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 shows in side view a diagrammatical representation of a set of levers arranged and combined according to this invention, in connection with certain other operative parts of the automatic device of the embroidery machine. Figures 2, 3, and l, show other positions of the parts illustrated in the left hand part of Figure 1 and serve to explain the co-operation of the lifters with the adjusting rails. Figure is an illustration similar to Figure 1 and shows a reversing lever set and its adjacent parts, all in accordance with this invention. Figure 6 is a diagrammatic representation showing the connection of two lever-sets by a differential gearing.

Referring to Figure 1, the adjusting movement of the reciprocating frame of the embroidery machine is initiated by needle lifters 1 which are moved into a definite initial or starting position by a lever 2 prior to each working cycle, whereafter some thereof are at once pressed back b the movement of a jacquard card. There then remain, in known manner, those sinkers, the needles 3 of which enter corresponding holes of the jacquard card in the starting position, whereas those sinkers, the needles of which do not stand in front of a card hole are pressed back by the respective card.

The rear end of the sinkers 1 is provided with a recess l forming two noses 5 and 6 which determine, according to the adjustment of the sinkers, the movement of the adjusting bars 7 which are pivoted singly to the adjusting levers 81 l Of these latter the lever 8 is hinged at t0 the frame of the machine, and at its middle part is pivoted, at 8, the next lever 9 which, in its turn, is connected at 9 with the next lever 10, and so on, as regards the levers 11, 12, 13, and 14. The thus formed arrangement and combination of levers, or this set of levers'respectively, has the following properties:

If the position of the upper end 8 of the lever 8 is altered for one unit of length,

lie

while the upper ends of all other levers (91%l) are hold fast by their respective adjusting rails 7, the pivot 8 of the lever 8 and, consequently, the lower end of the lever 9, too, are moved for one half of a unit of length, and one half of this extent of motion is transmitted to the pivot 9 and, consequently, to the lever 10 also, which, therefore, is moved but for one fourth. of the unit of length. The extent of the movement of the consecutive levers diminishes, thus, from lever to lever. The lower end of the lever ll receives only 1/8 of the original extent of motion, the lever 12 only 1/16, the lever 13 only 1/32, and the lever 1i only l/(i l. The rack 16 which is hinged to the lever 14 at the middle-part thereof is displaced, therefore, only by 'l/l28 of the motion of the lever connecting bolt 8". o

If in another case the upper end of the lever 8 is held fast and, for instance, the lever 12 is actuated at its upper end, by the appertaining adjusting bar 7, the levers 8ll remain at rest, but the lever 13 is moved for one half of the unit of lens h and the lever 1 1, as well as the rack 16, for one eighth of that unit.

It is obvious that in this way the most varied extents of motion may be transmitted to the rack 16, the more, as several levers may be swung at a time and their influence on the rack is then summed up. The

characteristic feature as regarcs the particular set of levers is this that the upper ends of all levers (8l4), if they are actuated in any way, are caused to cover paths of equal length, whereas the individual levers may be of different length. This latter circumstance renders it possible to arrange the same height so that their swinging motion may be easily transmitted.

The resulting motion of the reel 16 is transmitted in known manner to a pinion 17, the bore of which is threaded and which is located on the correspondingly threaded adjusting spindle l8 and may rotate on this latter but cannot move axially thereon. Contrarily thereto, the spindle is shifted axially and actuates the reciprocating frame of the enilnioidery machine. According as the rack teeth, and the pinion are located in vertical plane and the threaded spindle extend-s horizontally, or whether the teeth and the pinion are located in a horizontal plane and the spindle extends vertically, the reciprocating frame may be adjusted laterally or in its height.

It is still to be explained in which manner the adjusting bars 7 are moved in dependency of the adjustment of the sinkers 1 in order to transmit that motion to the se eral levers of the set of levers described.

There are provided for that purpose two driving levers l9 and 20 which are supported at 21 and 22 in the frame of the machine. They are actuated in known manner from the driving shaft of the automatic device of the embroidery machine in such a manner that they swing to and fro at one time in opposite directions to each other at each working cycle of the automatic device, tahing along with them the adjusting bar in one or the other direction according as they have been adjusted. The liiVGlS l9 and 20 carry for this purpose at their free ends the beating ledges 23 and 24., the length of which is such that they are able to act at a time on all adjusting bars "Z. The heating ledges and swing in such a distance from one another that the adjusting bars 7 are always in the range of but one thereof. he adjusting bars 7 are provided, furthern'iore, with step-like projections 25 and 26 which may be undercut in order to provide a secured point of en gagement at them for the beating ledges and cause these latter to take the bars 7 with them reliably.

Besides, every adjusting bar 7 carries an arm 27 which extends over the appertaining sinker and is provided with a projection 28. This co-operates with the sinker noses 5 and 6 in the manner illustrated in Figures 2% and determines by this co-operation the adjustment of the bars in relation to the beating ledges 23 and 2%. Attention must be paid in connection therewith to the point that the adjusting path of the bars 7 is considerably longer than that of the sink ers 1. According as the bars 7 are located either in their right hand or in their left hand end position into which the y have been moved by the beating ledges 23 and 2d at the preceding working cycle, the projections 28 will be situated either in the pr0X- imity of the nose 5 or in that of the nose (i and will, consequently, either ride thereon or get into the recess 4 of the sinkers l at the side of one or the other nose. In the first case the adjusting bar concerned is lifted so high that its step 26 remains in the range of the beating ledge 2a and is taken along therewith to the left at themxt movement of the lever, or it is retained in its left hand end position if it has already arrived. in this position at the preceding cycle. If, on the other hand, the projection 28 engages the recess l of the sinker by reason of a corresponding adjustment thereof, the step of the bar 7 gets into the range of the beating ledge 23 and by the next motion thereof into the right hand end position. Corresponding to the two end positions of the bar 7 there are provided in this latter two notches 29 and 30, and there is provided in the frame of the machine a rail 31 which is wedge-shaped at its upper rim or ledge and may be adjusted vertically and is alternately lifted and lowered by means of the main driving shaft of the automatic device of the machine. Above the bars 7 is arranged also an abutment ledge 32 which cooperates with the ledge or rail 31 in such a manner that all bars 7 can be held fast temporarily, as it were, as in a pair of tongs, and are exactly straightened at the same time. The abutment ledge 32 may be supported yieldingly and resiliently so as to permit it to give way if, perhaps, any one of the adjusting bars 7 does not get completely into its end positionand the wedgeshaped rail or ledge 31 cannot engage the corresponding notch 29 or 30. It is possible to connect the abutment ledge 32 with the disengaging device of the automatic apparatus in order to prevent the arising of faults in the embroidery produced.

There are provided on the arm 27 also two noses 33 and 3 1 which co-operate with the abutment 32 and limit the movement of the adjusting bars 7 i The manner of operation in the proper order of the working phases is as follows lVhile the embroidery procedure takes place, the adjusting bars 7 are lifted and locked by the wedge-shaped ledge 31, and the sinkers are, therefore, freely movable. The latter can, thus, be pressed back to the left by the lever 2 into the starting position in order to prepare the next motion of the reciprocating embroidery frame, whereafter they are adjusted for the next em broidery stitch by a movement of the jacquard card. 20 are moved to the left, or to the right respectively, so as to assume the position shown in Figure 1. Much time can be saved by this preparation of the next adjusting motion of the automatic device, rendering possible a quiet and comparatively slow operation of all parts of this d vice.

As soon as the embroidery procedure is finished, the ledge 31 is lowered; the adjusting bars 7 follow said ledge until their )rojections 28 get to ride on the sinkers 1. -f, for instance, the bar 7 has been brought into the lefthand end position (Figure 1) by the preceding working cycle and if, consequently, the sinker 1 has been adjusted into its right hand end position by the jacquard card, the projection 28 will get to ride on the nose 5 of the sinker and hold thereby the bar 7 in the range of the heating rail 2 1. its position is, therefore, not changed, but the bar in question is locked anew in its lefthand end position by means of the ledge 31 for the next embroidering procedure. If the sinker would not be pressed back by the jacquard card, as in Figure 2, but would remain in its last end position, the projection 28 would get into the recess a of the sinker 1 and the step2 of the adjusting bar 7 would get thereby into Besides, the levers 19 and said rail would be taken along at the next working cycle and would be shoved into the right hand end position; this movement is directly transmitted to the corresponding lever of the levers 814- and the reciprocating frame of the embroidery machine is, therefore, correspondingly adjusted.

In the desired end position the bar 7 is again locked by the wedge-shaped ledge 31, after the beating ledges 23 and 24 have been moved back into their initial position.

If, in another case, the adjusting bar 7 is in its right hand end position, and the assumption is made that the sinker 1 has been shoved back into its right hand end position by the movement of the jacquard card, the projection 23 of the bar 7 gets also in this case into the recess 1, but is then situated at the side of the nose 6. lVhile the ledge 31 moves downwards, the bar 7 is so much lowered that it gets out of the range of the beating ledge 2 1 and is, consequently, not shoved to the left, but remains standing in its right hand end position. If, in spite thereof the bar. should be shifted from any reason, it is moved back into its right hand end position by the beating ledge 23 and is finally locked in this position by the ledge 31. The fourth case imaginable is, finally, that, that the bar 7 is still standing in its right hand end position from the preceding cycle and the sinker.

is not acted on by the card and remains, consequently, in its left hand end position, as shown in Figure 41-. The projection 28 gets then, when the bar 7 is lowered, to ride on the nose 6, so that the bar 7 is caused to remain, by its step 26, in the range of the beating ledge 24 and is moved along with it into its left hand end position, in which the bar 7 is finally locked by the wedge-shaped ledge 31. Provision must be made that the bar 7 cannot fall out of the range of the beating ledge 24 during that movement to the left, which may be prevented by means of a gripper 35 resembling, or forming, a flat spring and being provided on the rail 7.

From what has above been explained results that the bar is moved either into its left hand or its right hand end position according to the adjustment of the sinker.

The automatic device allows of producing comparatively small embroidery patterns without any further co-operating means, the more, as it is in the power of the operator to enlarge at liberty the range of action of the lever-mechanism by increasing the numberof the levers arranged, and connected, in the manner shown and described But if comparatively large patterns are to be produced with the aid of the automatic apparatus, 'i. e. such for which the adjusting range of the set of levers is not Suflicient,

the pattern must be divided into fields overlapping each other a little at their rims- Each of these fields is then embroidered in the manner described, the rack remaining in constant gear with the pinion 17. The reciprocating frame ofthe embroidery machine is then moved, as it were, relatively to a certain definite zero position which corre sponds to that at which all adjusting bars are situated in their left hand end position. in spite thereof the reciprocating embroidery frame performs the smallest possible adjusting movements between two embroicb ering stitches.

If a field of the pattern has been roduced in the manner described, the rack must be lifted out of the pinion 17, whereby the automatic device is uncoupled from the reciprocating embroidery frame. This may be effected automatically in a convenient manner by means of a sin'l'ler specially provided for the purpose, and by the intermediary of a rod 36, Figure 1, connecting said sinker with the rack. Therea ter the set of levers is moved into a certain initial position for instance by pressing all sinkers back by means of the jacquard card, without moving also the reciprocating embroidery frame, and only then the rack 16 is caused to engage the pinion 17 by means of the rod 36, whereafter the automatic device is so adjusted that the needle tips of the embroidering tools are located in front of that point of the embroidery fabric which is intended to form the Zero point for the next field of the pattern. If this lield is so remote from that previously finished that the new base position cannot be reached wit-h one jump-over stitch, two or more such stitches become necessary, the rack 16 being alternately caused to engage the pinion 17 and get out of gear therefrom.

If, on the other hand, one desires to build the automatic device in such a manner that all adjusting levers are moved back into a definite starting position after each embroidery stitch, and the reciprocating embroidering frame is, therefore, un'iforn-ily moved forward for every embroidery stitch, the connection between 'the automatic device and the reciprocating frame must be made in the manner illustrated in Figure 5,viz by means of a cogged frame 16 having'cogs at the inner side of its two longitudinal members, this frame being, therefore, provided with two racks,each of which may be caused to gear with the pinion 17, the change being effected by a rod 36 similar to the rod 36 of Figure 1. The co-operation of the beating ledges vith the adjusting bars is suitably altered and the sinkers are shorter than those shown in the preceding figures because they require but one nose 5. Besides, the step 26 at the adjusting bars 7 must be so high that these latter are always in "the range of the beating ledge 2 1- and are, consequently, moved back into their left hand starting position at the beating movement. The levers 19 and 20 are moved, for the rest, not in opposite directions, but both swing alyvays uniformly to the right and to the le' t.

Another alteration of the gear is necessary in so as at the rearward movement of the levers 19 and 20 all adjusting bars must remain raised 'afterthe wedge-shaped ledge 31 has already been lowered. The manner of operation of this altered gearing is as follows 2- After an adjusting movement has been finished, the automatic device is uncoupled from the reciprocating frame of the embroidery machine. The cogged frame 16 is, for that purpose, lifted automatically by means of the rod 36 into such a position relatively to the pinion 17 that this is not in gear with either of the two racks forming the frame 16'. It is practical to lock the pinion in the position it just occupies by means of a ratchet wheel connected with it, and by apawl engaging this ratchet wheel. This having been effected, the next adjusting motion of the automatic device is prepared. First of all, the sinkers 1 are shifted to their original position at the right.- by the lever 2, and immediately thereafter they are adjusted in known manner by the jacquard card for the new embroidering stitch. lVhile this proceeds, the eccentric shaft 37 is so much turned that it holds the adjusting rails in raised position. The ledge '31 is then loweredand the two levers 19 and '20 swing to the left into the starting position illustrated in Figure 5, the ad justin'g bars 7 being taken along with them by the beating ledge 24. The shaft is now turned for 180 and in consequence thereof the adjusting bars sink so much as the sinkers 1, or their noses 5 respectively, permit. Those adjusting bars, the projections 28 of which are held in a raised position by the noses 5 of the sinkers 1, do not come into. the range of the beating ledge 23 and remain, therefore, at rest during the next adjusting movement of the automatic apparatus. On the other hand, those adjusting bars 7 are moved into the range of the beating ledge 23, the sinkers 1 of which are not pressed back by the jacquard card and the projections 29 of which can, consequently, fall freely behind the sinker noses 5.

As soon as the preceding embroidery procedure is finished and the reciprocating frame shall be re-adjusted, either the upper or the lower rack of the cogged frame 16 is caused to engage the cog-wheel 17, according to the required re-adjustment of the reciprocating frame, and the two levers are thereafter moved to the right, the adjusting rails present in the range of the adjusting ledge being taken along there with. In their right hand end position the adjusting bars 7 are, finally, locked by the wedge-shaped ledge 3'1. The adjusting movements of the individual bars 7 are reduced by the lever gearing above described and are added and transmitted to the cogged frame 16- which then turns the pinion. When the adju ting moven'ient is finished, the procedure described is repeated.

The circumstance that with the lever gearing described the influence of the individual sinlrers on the adjustment of the reciprocating frame increases in a power-ratio renders difficult in a certain measure the reading of the stitch length on the card, because it is necessary to sum up irregular numbers according to the adjustingmovements which the individual sinkers have been performed. In order to facilitate, as much as possible, for the operator of the embroidery machine the ascertainment of the individual stitch lengths from the card, because he is compolled to rectify the cards while operating the machine, the adjusting extents of the individual sinkers should he brought, as much as possible, into a decimal ratio with respect to each other. This may be attained in the present case by providing pairs of sets of levers for the adjustment in height, as well as for the lateral adjust ment, i. e. lever sets such, for instance, as A B, Figure 6, each set consisting in this example of four levers 8, 9, 10, and 11, and the resulting adjusting movements of the two sets being coupled with each other by a double-armed lever or known differential gearing 38, the ratio of which is 1 :10. One of these sets of levers is then used for effecting the unit magnitudes of the adjustment movements required, and the other is used for effecting the tenfold magnitudes of the adjusting movements required. With such a form of construction of the automatic driving gear not all adjusting possibilities are utilized, if there are four levers in a set, as in Figure 6; there are, in fact, 15 different adjusting possibilities but only 9 thereof are employed. The other six form a desirable reserve for the case that embroidering stitches must be made at the rim lines of a field forming a part of a large embroidery pattern, there being otherwise required j ump-over stitches as already mentioned at an earlier part of this specification.

It is suited to the purpose of the novel arrangement and combination of parts to devise the levers 811, or 8-14 respectively, forming the sets as frames, in such a manner, that they lie, as much as possible, in one plane, and the large levers enclose the smaller ones in order to provide for adjusting each thereof without any amming. Besides, the adjusting bars 7 are preferably so devised that their arms 2'? lie side by side as near as possible to each other, whereas their rear ends, reckoned, for instance, from the step are remote from each other so much as is permitted by the secure support at the adjusting levers concerned.- Furthermore, the front arms 2? are preferably made thinner than the main parts of the bars 7 which should be very strong, and finally, it is recommendable to lock temporarily not only the adjusting bars 1'", butalso, and in known manner, the sinker-s 1 in their end positions they occupy at the time being.

I claim:

1. An automatic apparatus for adjusting textile machine parts comprising, in combination, a set of adjusting levers, of which each forms a double-armed lever and of which the second is pivoted to thefirst at half of the length thereof, and the third to the second at half of the length thereof; a jacquard-device; means to transmit: to said levers a driving motion as determined by said jacquard device; and means adapted to transmit the summed-up movements from the last of the said levers to the machine part to be re-adjusted, as set forth.

2. An automatic apparatus for adjusting textile machine parts comprising, in combi nation, a set of adjusting-levers, of which each forms a double-armed lever and of which the second is'pivoted to the first at half of the length thereof, the third to the second at half of the length thereof, and the fourth to the third at half of the length thereof; a jacquard-device; adjusting bars connected with the free ends of said levers and adapted to be operated directly by the adjusting forces; and means adapted to transmit the summedup movements from the last of the said levers to the machine part to be re-adjusted, as set forth.

3. An automatic apparatus for adjusting textile machine parts comprising, in combination, a set of adjusting levers, of which each forms a double-armedlever and of which the second is pivoted to the first at half of the length thereof, the third to the second at half of the length thereof, and the fourth to the third at half of the length thereof; a jacquard device; adjusting bars connected with the free ends of said levers and being adapted to be operated directly by the adjusting forces and to be rocked for a length as determined by said jacquard device; and means adapted to transmit the summed-up movements from the last of the said levers to the machine part to be readjusted,as set forth.

4. An automatic apparatus for adjusting textile machine parts comprising, in combination, a set of adjusting levers, of which each forms a double-armed lever and of llltl which the second is pivoted to the first at half of the length thereof, the third to the second at half of the length thereof,.and the fourth to the third at half of the length thereof; a jacquard device; adjusting bars connected with the free ends of said levers and adapted to be operated directly by the adjusting forces; and two beating ledges adapted to adjust said bars, one of them being adapted to move the said bars into one of the possible two end positions, and the other being adapted to move the said bars into the other of said positions; sinkers so arranged as to be adapted to hold said adj usting bars in position to be actuated by the said ledges; and a wedge-shaped ledge adapted to lock the adjusting bars in the said positions, substantially as described.

5. An automatic apparatus for adjusting textile machine parts'comprising, in combination, a set of adjusting levers. of which each forms a double-armed lever and of which the second is pivoted to the first at half of the length thereof the third to the second at half of the length thereof, and the fourth to the third at half of the length thereof; a jacquard device; adjusting bars connected with the free ends of said levers and adapted to be operated directly by the adjusting forces, and having projections at their ends; two beating ledges adapted to adjust said bars, one of them being adapted to move the said bars into one of the possible two end positions, and the other being adapted to move the said bars into the other of said positions; sinkers so arranged as to be adapted to hold said adjusting bars in position to be actuated by the said ledges; and a wedge-shaped ledge adapted to lock the adjusting bars in the said positions, substantially as described.

6. An automatic apparatus for adjusting textile machine parts comprising, in combination, a set of adjusting levers, of which each forms a doublearmed lever and of which the second is pivoted to the first at half of the length thereof; the third to the second at half of the length thereof, and the fourth to the third at half of the length thereof; a jacquard device; adjusting bars connected with the free ends of said levers and being adapted to be operated directly by the adjusting forces; and two beating ledges, adapted to adjust said bars, one of them. being adapted to move-the said bars into one of the possible two end positions, and the other being adapted to move the said bars into the other of said positions; sinkers so arranged as to be adapted to hold said adjusting bars in position to be actuated by the said ledges; andhaving each a nose and a recessed part, of which two parts one is adapted to co-operate with a projection provided on the adjusting bars and forms a part thereof; and a wedge-shaped ledge adapted to lock the adjusting bars in the said position, substantially as described.

7. An automatic apparatus for adjusting textile machine parts comprising, in combination, a set of adjusting levers, of which eachforms a double-armed lever and of which the second is pivoted to the first at half of the length thereof, the third to the second at half of the length thereof, and the fourth to the third at half of the length thereof, the length of the differently long levers being such that their upper ends are approximately in the same height; a jacquard device; means to transmit to said 1evers a driving motion as determined by said jacquard device; and means adapted to transmit the summed-up movements from the last of the said lovers to the machine part to be re-adjusted, as set forth.

8. An automatic apparatus for adjusting textile machine parts comprising, in combination, a set of adjusting levers, of which each forms a ClOHblQ-RllllGCl lever and of which the second is pivoted to the first at half of the length thereof, the third to the second at half of the length thereof, and the fourth to the third at half of the length thereof; another set of levers as stated; a differential gearing connecting said sets of levers with each other and having a ratio of 1:10; a jacquard device; means to transmit to said levers a driving motion as determined by saidjacquard device and means adapted to transmit the summed-up movements from the last of the said levers to the machine part to be readjusted, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILHELM BLANK. 

